About us
Changing Lives is a nationwide charity helping people facing the most challenging of circumstances to make positive change - for good. We believe that everyone deserves a safe home, a rewarding job and a life free from addiction or abuse. We know that given the right support, anyone can change their life for the better.
Our services across the country help thousands of people each year who are experiencing a wide range of complicated challenges, including homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, unemployment, involvement with the criminal justice system, sexual exploitation and domestic abuse. By focusing on their strengths, potential and opportunities, we support the people we work with to overcome their problems and live safe, successful, independent lives.
Our charity is powered by over 600 passionate colleagues who bring a diverse and inclusive environment for our colleagues to grow. We are proud to say that many have actual lived experience of the challenges faced by those we support. We are looking for committed and compassionate professionals to join our team, who share our enthusiasm for changing lives.
About the Service - Women and Children's Services
We run services and dedicated women’s centres for those who are at risk or struggling with challenging circumstances, including women in the criminal justice system and those with experience of trauma, selling sex or sexual exploitation.
We understand that women and girls have experiences which are different to men and can experience vulnerabilities that are specific to their gender. Childhood abuse and domestic abuse are common features in the lives of the women we support which impact on their health and wellbeing. Underpinning all our services is an in-depth understanding of trauma and a focus on recovery, resilience and community integration.
About the Job
Please note this job role is open to Female applicants only.
The role will also require a flexible approach to the hours of the service as Ridley Villas runs from 9am until 9pm weekdays, 10-6pm on weekends and also has an on-call function for out of hours.
The service is open 365 days a year meaning the staff will work some Bank Holidays and Public Holidays such as Easter and Christmas via a rota.
The Senior Family Support Worker position is an exciting leadership opportunity to provide intensive support to families to shape their recovery, healing and sense of belonging. Working within an existing Family Support Worker team, you will carry a small caseload of families for up to 15 months whilst offering compassionate and robust case management / 121s to the team, and working closely with the service manager to develop the service dynamically.
At Ridley Villas collaboration, both with external organisations and families, is at the heart of the work being undertaken, remaining curious in multi-disciplinary space and advocating fully for the families we support. Care provided is personalised, strengths-based and intensive.
The Ridley Villas Project is a psychologically informed accommodation service for women in recovery from addiction and their children, where there is a risk of the child/children going into care. Ridley Villas works in close partnership with Children’s Social Care, supporting families to work through a programme of support whilst they recover together, and maintain living as a family.
Ridley Villas offers five self-contained units, known as the ‘hub’, and two dispersal units, which are flats in the Newcastle area for families who can manage more independently. Families in the dispersal units access the programme of support at the ‘hub’ and all families have an allocated caseworker who offers tailored support.
If this leadership position sounds like something you could bring value to, we can't wait to hear from you!